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Abstract

Everydayness links the histories and crescendos of our lives. Once we lose this "glue", many of our
reference points for linking these histories are lost and the structure and patterns of our lives start to
unravel. For families separated by prison, telephone calls and letters offer a form of glue, but punitive
structures place many constraints on this type of communication. These constraints result in a
transformation of technology, often resulting in re-configuration to the point where it plays a different role
in the prison context. The analysis presented in this paper points to the need for developing both
technologies that support the sharing of everyday experiences and that have functionality to help families
re-establish and adjust family relationships and roles. In this analysis we consider how the punitive climate
impacts on communication technology design and how to balance this climate with the objective of
strengthening family ties.

Funders/Sponsor

We thank all the participants in both studies. Without their engagement and patience this
paper would not have been possible. The second author also thanks the Sir Halley Stewart
Trust for funding the research project. All opinions expressed in this paper are of the
authors alone and not necessarily those of the Trust. We thank Trish Williams for her
constructive feedback and patient proof reading.

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